Structures for transporting systems of multiple components are important to maximizing the use of these systems with a minimum of effort, thereby allowing users to focus more of their time, attention, and efforts on obtaining the benefits of these systems. For example, tradeshow displays are a vital part of exposing products and services to buyers. These displays are designed to be lightweight, modular, and collapsible so that they can be transported easily from tradeshow site to tradeshow site for temporary use. Such displays generally have rigid panels with graphical surfaces that need protection during shipment; structural frameworks that disassemble or collapse; flexible sheet material, often with graphics, that needs to be rolled up and protected; and various other components. Transporting a system of multiple display components is a logistically complex activity that can be simplified and minimized with respect to time, effort, and space by a structure for storing the system that facilitates both the assembly of the system and the disassembly and safe storage of the system.
A well designed structure for a storage and transportation crate or container or case has several minimally desirable attributes. First, the crate should be shippable. The size of the crate must fit onto those forms of transportation that are intended to be used for its convenient transport. Second, the crate should have a strong outer shell to withstand the stresses and strains of transporting a system of components safely. The crate should not inadvertently open up during shipping, and should be constructed to allow components to be efficiently placed into, effectively protected within, and easily retrieved from the crate. Third, the crate should be lightweight and as compact as possible to minimize transportation costs.
Many storage devices use a front or side opening to access the interior of the device. These devices often contain shelving that limits their use to storage of smaller items. Examples of these kinds of devices are disclosed in Giovannelli, U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,775, Transportable Storage Device; Robbins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,215, Merchandising and Display Device; and Newby, Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,723, Portable Sectional Storage Cabinet. An example of a front opening device without shelves is Nichoalds, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,122, Cabinet Construction. Vertical storage of objects in these kinds of devices is restricted by the height of the opening and the distance between shelves. Horizontal or vertical storage of objects in these kinds of devices is not readily adaptable to tradeshow and similar environments where floor space is purchased and often only a limited amount of space is available within which to work. This limitation also becomes problematic when the cover over the opening is a door that is swung outwardly to access the contents of the device.
Other storage devices use a top opening to access the interior of the device. Some devices have top covers that are removable from their base portions, such as those disclosed in Luddemann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,494, Convertible Storage System, or the XP Expandable Case manufactured by A & J Cases. Removable covers likewise present floor space problems because the covers must be set aside somewhere, which covers become an inconvenience while trying to work around them. Some devices have hinged covers, such as those disclosed in Templin, U.S. Pat. No. 1,997,241, Display Case, and Karten et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,112, Multipurpose Storage Case and Display Cabinet. Both of these devices include covers having a free range of motion so that the covers are not suspendable above the device. As a consequence, such a cover will remain only in a completely closed position or in a position where its weight no longer resides over the base of the device. Thus, the cover is not very useful as a means for holding components, tools, information, or other similar resources.
Still other devices similar to those described above have partitions or dividers inside the devices to assist users in organizing the intended contents. Some devices have permanently constructed dividers, such as those that appear in Greenwood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,062, Cart Particularly Designed for Responding to Emergencies. Some devices have slots in their walls or shaped walls for reconfiguring dividers into a limited number of permutations, such as Burgess, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,643, Multi-Compartment Cabinet, or Carr et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,043, Carrying Case Having Detachable Step Stool. The previously mentioned device in Newby, Sr. is another example. And some containers have a more flexible system of dividers, such as Garcia, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,056, Momento Box, wherein slots in dividers are used to assemble the dividers in a cross-hatched pattern, which structure is then placed inside the device.
Although numerous attempts have been made to make storage devices as convenient and adaptable as possible, there are one or more desirable attributes that previous devices have not incorporated. For example, it would be desirable to have a cover that is suspendable above the base portion of a device so that the cover does not become lost and stays out of the way of users of the device without taking floor space. Suspending the cover above the base portion would also allow a user to easily access items stored under the cover, such as instruction manuals, and the weight of the cover would remain over the base of the device to help maintain the device's stability. Finally, it would be desirable to have a device wherein the front of the base portion has a height that is low enough to allow a user to easily view the contents of the device and access the interior of the device to store and retrieve components, tools, information, and other resources, and to have a framework for organizing the contents inside the device that is effective, convenient, and possibly reconfigurable with few limitations.